The veto message said the governor opposed House Bill 37 by Rep. Gary Smith, D-Norco, because it "would allow BP and other parties with potential liability to the state to obtain information retained by any state agency" and that "such access could impact the state's legal position."

The governor's veto of the Smith bill sets up a scenario in which his agencies could shield documents from the public while at the same time turning them over to BP and its lawyers through the discovery process in the legal proceedings. It would be up to the court to decide which documents would be made public.

Jindal for years has lobbied to preserve broad exemptions for the governor's office in Louisiana's public records law. The House bill would have cracked open a category of records related to the Deepwater Horizon disaster and the state's response.

"I'm saddened by his action, but not surprised," said Sen. Robert Adley, R-Benton, who amended Smith's public records bill to include the provision about the oil spill documents. "His excuse is he is afraid that BP would find out something Louisiana did, and I always thought justice was about the truth and facts."